Find out how popular the last name Zelenski is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Zelenski.

Zelenski, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Zelenski surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Zelenski in America

Zelenski is the 70208th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Zelenski surname appeared 279 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Zelenski.

We can also compare 2010 data for Zelenski to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Zelenski

The surname Zelenski has its origins in Eastern Europe, most prominently within Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian cultures. The name is derived from the Slavic word "zelen," which means "green." The surname likely originated as a toponymic name referencing a person who lived near or was associated with green fields, forests, or any verdant landscape.

In medieval Poland and Ukraine, surnames often evolved from geographic locations, occupations, or characteristic features of the land. Zelenski, therefore, would have been associated with individuals residing in lush, green areas, typically rural countryside. Early variations of the surname include Zelensky, Zelinsky, and Zjeleński, reflecting phonetic spellings adapted to different Slavic languages and dialects.

Historical references to the surname Zelenski can be found in various documents dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances appears in Polish nobility records from the 1500s, where a family named Zelenski was noted for owning estates in the region of Lesser Poland, a historic area south of Kraków.

Adam Zelenski, born in 1620, was one of the notable figures bearing this surname. He was a landowner and minor noble in what is today southeastern Poland. His familial records were found in the archives of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, signifying their local importance.

Another significant individual was Mikhail Zelenski, a Ukrainian poet and writer born in 1734. His works, primarily composed in the mid-18th century, have been preserved in several regional manuscripts and provide insight into the literary culture of the time.

During the 19th century, the surname Zelenski appears in various emigrant records as individuals from Eastern Europe moved to the United States. One such figure was Ivan Zelenski, who arrived in New York in 1882. He later settled in Pennsylvania and contributed to the coal mining communities developing in the region.

Notable in the realm of science was Professor Jan Zelenski, born in 1875 in Belarus. His work in early 20th-century physics and contributions to the scientific community were recognized by various European academic institutions.

In the mid-20th century, Olga Zelenski, a Belarusian-born historian born in 1921, rose to prominence. She dedicated her career to documenting and preserving Slavic history and played a crucial role in archiving significant Eastern European historical documents during and after World War II.

Zelenski remains a surname deeply rooted in its Slavic heritage, carrying with it historical ties to verdant landscapes and an enduring presence across centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Zelenski

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Zelenski.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Zelenski was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Zelenski has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Zelenski was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Zelenski, please contact us.

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